The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday demanded incarcerated party founder Imran Khan’s release within two weeks, warning of securing his freedom themselves if the former prime minister remains behind bars beyond the deadline.
Concluding the long-promised rally at Sangjani, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur warned that he would personally lead the charge to free Khan if the PTI founder were not “legally” released within two weeks. “I will take the first bullet,” he added.
He further warned that if Khan were not release, he would lodge cases against the PTI’s political opponents in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. “Now the KP government is completely in our control and I will make cases against you,” he claimed, adding Khan’s lawyers said all cases against him were decided in favor and there was no longer any reason to keep him in jail.
In a message directed to the military leadership, Gandapur claimed even they could not prevent Khan’s release. Referring to a statement of Defense Minister Khawaja Asif claiming Imran Khan could face a military trial over the May 9 riots, Gandapur warned him that “even your father, or those you consider your father, cannot stop us from getting Imran Khan released.” He claimed the PTI was not responsible for Faiz Hameed’s actions, adding those who made him head of the spy agency were responsible for his misdeeds. During a press conference on Friday, the military spokesman had pointed to then-prime minister Imran Khan as being responsible for appointing Hameed to the ISI.
“Keep your house in order, otherwise we will keep the military in order. It is our institutions where our brothers are serving on the borders,” he said, accusing the military of fostering militancy in the country and echoing calls for appeasement and dialogue with militant groups to end the unrest.
According to Gandapur, the May 9 riots were an “excuse” to target Khan. He claimed he would “reveal all” during the PTI’s next planned rally in Lahore. He said the PTI had now decided not to tolerate any injustice and excesses, and respond accordingly. “If anyone hits us, we will hit them,” he said, urging the gathered crowd to be ready for a “bloody sacrifice” to achieve “real freedom.”
Maintaining that the people of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa would not allow anyone to “steal” their mandate through force, he said the rally’s ultimate aim was proving that the PTI and the public stood with Khan. Reiterating that raising a voice against oppression was “jihad,” he vowed the “resistance” would continue until oppression had concluded.
Alleging that the people who had granted NROs [National Reconciliation Ordinance] to the incumbent rulers were party to their “corruption,” he claimed the PTI founder had emerged victorious despite being in jail.
Other leaders
In his speech, PTI leader Hammad Azhar—who is currently a proclaimed offender—maintained the hurdles placed to discourage PTI supporters proved the incumbent government feared Khan and his supporters. He claimed the PTI would soon launch a “movement” in Punjab and lamented that much of the provincial leadership remained behind bars.
MNA Sher Afzal Marwat similarly called for protests across Punjab, saying they would demand the release of Khan and the supremacy of law and the Constitution. “We will enter Punjab with 50,000 people from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa within a week,” he claimed, vowing to resist all barriers, including tear gas.
PTI leader Muhammad Ali Khan lamented that while Khan was imprisoned, many other party leaders had fled the country. He warned that the public would secure the release of Khan if the government did not allow him to go free. “When an attempt was made to subvert the Supreme Court and judiciary under the guise of legislation, Imran Khan urged people to take to the streets,” he said, regretting that all hopes now rested with the Supreme Court.
The rally, slated to end by 7 p.m. as per an agreement inked with the district administration, continued beyond its deadline, leading to some unrest between police and PTI supporters. Speaking with media, Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon warned that action would be taken against relevant individuals over non-compliance with the no-objection certificate.
As police attempted to disperse the gathering at 7 p.m., PTI workers began pelting stones at the cops, injuring several security personnel, including Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shoaib Khan. The police then retaliated with tear-gas shelling, dispersing the attackers, while the rally continued several hours after the deadline had expired.
Addressing the rally after the deadline, Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai criticized the participants for lacking any ‘organizational discipline,’ warning that crowds were not sufficient to achieve their aims. “The first condition for a revolution is organizational discipline,” he said, pointing to incidents such as people’s clothing getting torn, pickpocketing and unrest even for people attempting to climb the stage. “Such a gathering cannot bring about a revolution,” he said.
“Pakistan is at the crossroads of revolution or destruction,” he said, accusing the incumbent government of coming to power via rigging. He also urged the PTI leadership to give the government a 10-15 day deadline for the release of Khan and other PTI leaders, adding they should march on Adiala Jail.
PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan said party founder Imran Khan was a reality that should be accepted by stakeholders. “Our mandate was stolen in the Feb. 8 general elections,” he claimed, maintaining Khan was fighting for the people’s rights.
Government responds
In a video statement, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar claimed the people of Pakistan had rejected the PTI’s call. “Millions of people were supposed to bring a revolution today—nobody knows where they have gone. Have they gone to some other country or another place?” he asked, alleging the PTI had resorted to sharing old and doctored videos to claim it had gathered large numbers for its rally.
“The PTI has been spreading lies and propaganda on social media by sharing old videos of rallies from Kashmir and even Indian Punjab farmers’ [rallies] footage,” he said, while maintaining that none of these tactics could protect Khan from accountability.